Lewis Pugh

Pugh was born in Plymouth, England, on 5 December 1969. His father, P.D. Gordon Pugh, was a surgeon in the Royal Navy, an author, and a prolific collector of ceramics of the Victorian era. His mother, Margery Pugh, was a Senior Nursing Sister in Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.

Pugh grew up on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. He was educated at Mount House School in Tavistock. When he was 10 years old his family emigrated to South Africa. He continued his schooling at St Andrew's College in Grahamstown and later at Camps Bay High School in Cape Town. He went on to read politics and law at the University of Cape Town and graduated at the top of his Masters class.

In his mid-twenties he returned to England, where he read international law at Jesus College, Cambridge, and then worked as a maritime lawyer at Ince & Co in the City of London for a decade.{{Cite news |last=Bannerman |first=Lucy |date=29 August 2018 |title=Lewis Pugh: I swam the entire length of Channel but where were the fish? |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/lewis-pugh-i-swam-entire-length-of-channel-but-where-were-the-fish-366l5262m |url-access=limited |access-date=2022-07-02}} During this time he concurrently served as a Reservist in the British Special Air Service.

Over a period of 30 years Pugh has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history. In an interview with Forbes he stated:

"Between Lynne Cox, Martin Strel and myself, we've hit all of the world's major landmarks. There's really nothing left."{{cite news

|url=https://www.forbes.com/fyi/2007/1029/117.html

|title=The Ice Bear Cometh

|work=Forbes

|author=Todd Pitock

|date=29 October 2007

|access-date=24 August 2008}}

In 2013 he was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.{{cite news

|url=http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2012/10/lewis-pugh-honored-by-international.html

|title=Lewis Pugh Honored by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

|publisher=The Daily News of Open Water Swimming

|date=October 2012

|access-date=23 October 2012}}

Pugh had his first real swimming lesson in 1986, at the age of 17. One month later he swam from Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned) to Cape Town. In 1992 he swam across the English Channel. In 2002 he broke the record for the fastest time for swimming around Robben Island.

He was the first person to swim around Cape Agulhas (the southernmost point in Africa), the Cape of Good Hope, and the Cape Peninsula (a {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim from Cape Town to Muizenberg). Pugh was also the first person to swim across an African Great Lake, namely Lake Malawi.

File:Berg Jump Lewis Pugh.JPG

After 2003 Pugh focused on pioneering swims in the coldest and most hostile waters of the world. All of them were undertaken in accordance with Channel Swimming Association rules, in just a pair of Speedo swimming trunks, cap and goggles.{{cite web |url=http://lewispugh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Press-FAQs.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608163823/http://lewispugh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Press-FAQs.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-06-08 |title=Press FAQs |publisher=lweispugh.com |access-date=15 March 2020}} He became the first person to swim around the infamous North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe. The following year he became the first person to swim down the entire length of Sognefjord in Norway, a {{convert|204|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim which took him 21 days to complete.

In 2005 he broke the world record for the farthest-north long-distance swim by undertaking a {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim at 80° North around Verlegenhuken, the northernmost cape in Spitsbergen. He followed that five months later by breaking Lynne Cox's world record for the farthest-south long-distance swim by undertaking a {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim at 65° South at Petermann Island off the Antarctic Peninsula.

In November 2017, Pugh became be the first person to swim in the Antarctic waters around South Georgia Island.{{cite magazine|author=Caroline Christie |title=What it feels like to swim in sub-zero waters |date=2 October 2019 |magazine=The Economist 1843 Magazine |url=https://www.1843magazine.com/travel/taste-the-fear/what-it-feels-like-to-swim-in-subzero-waters}}

On both his Arctic and Antarctic expeditions Professor Tim Noakes, a sports scientist from the University of Cape Town, recorded Pugh's ability to raise his core body temperature by nearly 2 °C in anticipation of entering the freezing water.{{cite news

|url=http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2805%2967833-6/fulltext

|title=Profile: Lewis Gordon Pugh – Polar Swimmer

|publisher=The Lancet

|author=Dr James Butcher Phd

|date=December 2005

|access-date=1 December 2005}}{{cite news

|title=Body temperatures during three long-distance polar swims

|publisher=Journal of Thermal Biology 2009, 34 (1) : 23–31

|author1=Tim Noakes |author2=Jonathan Dugas

|year=2009

|display-authors=etal}} He coined the phrase "anticipatory thermo-genesis" (the creation of heat before an event).{{cite news

|url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0605/whats_new/lewis_gordon_pugh.html

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524134150/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0605/whats_new/lewis_gordon_pugh.html

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=24 May 2006

|title=What It Takes: Lewis Gordon Pugh

|publisher=National Geographic

|author=Andrew Berg

|date=May 2006

|access-date=19 September 2008}}{{cite news

|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126962.200-superhuman-the-secrets-of-the-ice-man.html?page=2

|title=Superhuman; The Secrets of the Ice Man

|publisher=New Scientist

|author=Duncan Graham-Rowe

|date=February 2009

|access-date=24 February 2009}} This phenomenon had not been noted in any other human. Noakes argues it is a Pavlovian response to years of cold-water swimming, while Pugh believes it is a response to fear.{{cite news

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/world/europe/arctic-swim-lewis-pugh.html

|title=A Freezing Swim to Call Attention to Warming Waters

|work=The New York Times

|date=August 2017

|access-date=1 August 2017}}{{cite news

|url=https://www.nrk.no/troms/xl/en-iskald-kamp-mot-varmere-klima-1.13630853

|title=An Ice Cold fight Against Warmer Climate

|publisher=NRK

|date=August 2017

|access-date=12 August 2017}}{{cite news

|url=http://lewispugh.com/how-i-do-what-i-do/

|title=How I do What I do

|publisher=Lewis Pugh

|date=August 2017

|access-date=5 August 2017}}

In 2006 Pugh challenged Russia's top cold-water swimmers to a 500-metre race at the World Winter Swimming Championships in Finland. He easily won the gold medal, beating Russian Champion Alexander Brylin by over 100 metres and the bronze medalist Nefatov Vladimir by 125 metres.

In 2006 Pugh achieved the "Holy Grail" of swimming by becoming the first person to complete a long-distance swim in all five oceans of the world. His five swims were :

• Atlantic Ocean – across the English Channel in 1992
• Arctic Ocean – around the most northern point of the Island of Spitsbergen in 2005
• Southern Ocean – across Whaler's Bay in Deception Island in 2005
• Indian Ocean – across Nelson Mandela Bay in 2006
• Pacific Ocean – from Manly Beach through the Sydney Heads to the Sydney Opera House in 2006

In 2006, he became the first person to swim the entire length of the River Thames. He undertook the swim to draw attention to the severe drought in England and the dangers of global warming. The {{convert|325|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim took him 21 days to complete. The upper stretch of the river had stopped flowing due to the drought, forcing Pugh to run the first {{convert|42|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the river.

While swimming through London, Pugh exited the water and made a visit to Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street to call on the United Kingdom to move towards a low carbon economy. Shortly afterwards the Prime Minister introduced the Climate Change Bill to Parliament.

In February 2007 Pugh became the first person to swim across the width of the Maldives. He undertook the swim to raise awareness about the effect of climate change on low-lying islands in the world. The {{convert|140|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim took 10 days to complete.

In July 2007 Pugh undertook the first long-distance swim across the Geographic North Pole. The {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim, across an open patch of sea, in minus 1.7 °C (29 °F) water, took 18 minutes and 50 seconds to complete. Jørgen Amundsen, the great-grandnephew of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, paced Pugh by skiing alongside him during the swim.{{cite news

|url=http://www.ted.com/talks/lewis_pugh_swims_the_north_pole.html

|title=Lewis Pugh swims the North Pole

|publisher=TED

|date=September 2009

|access-date=5 August 2011}}

The swim coincided with the lowest coverage of Arctic sea ice ever recorded.

File:EverestTeam LewisPugh.JPG

In May 2010 Pugh swam across Lake Pumori, a glacial lake on Mount Everest, to highlight the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace.{{cite news

|url = http://www.lewispugh.com/expeditions.html

|title = Forthcoming Expeditions

|publisher = Lewis Gordon Pugh's website

|author = Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date = December 2009

|access-date = 5 December 2009

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091004011344/http://www.lewispugh.com/expeditions.html

|archive-date = 4 October 2009

|df = dmy-all

}} Millions of people from India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal rely on the water, which flows from the Himalayan glaciers. The {{convert|1|km|mi|abbr=on}} swim, at an altitude of 5,300 metres, in 2 °C water (35 °F),{{cite news

|url = http://www.lewispugh.com/expeditions/Expeditions.aspx

|title = Expeditions, Everest

|publisher = Lewis Gordon Pugh's website

|author = Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date = May 2010

|access-date = 19 September 2010

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100722164631/http://www.lewispugh.com/expeditions/Expeditions.aspx

|archive-date = 22 July 2010

|df = dmy-all

}} took 22 minutes and 51 seconds to complete.

In August 2014, Pugh undertook the first long-distance swim in all the Seven Seas to campaign for more Marine Protected Areas in the region. The swims took place in the following locations:

• Mediterranean Sea – a 10 km swim off Monte Carlo in Monaco
• Adriatic Sea – a 10 km swim off Zadar in Croatia
• Aegean Sea – a 10 km swim off Athens in Greece
• Black Sea – a 10 km swim off Şile in Turkey
• Red Sea – a 10 km swim off Aqaba in Jordan
• Arabian Sea – a 10 km swim off Rass Al Hadd in Oman
• North Sea – a 60 km Thames swim from Southend-on-Sea to the Thames Barrier, east London.

Afterwards Pugh wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times that he had "seriously underestimated the urgency" of the issue he undertook the swim for, noting that he saw "no sharks, no whales, no dolphins" and "no fish longer than 30 centimeters".{{cite news |date=September 2014 |title=Swimming through Garbage |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/29/opinion/swimming-through-garbage.html?_r=0 |access-date=28 September 2014}}

In July and August 2018, Pugh swam the entire length of the English Channel – the second person ever to do so after Ross Edgley completed the feat a month before during his 1,780-mile circumnavigation swim around Great Britain.{{cite news

|url=https://www.channelswimmingassociation.com/news/152/csa-congratulate-lewis-pugh-the-long-swim

|title=CSA congratulate Lewis Pugh on "The Long Swim"

|publisher=Channel Swimming Association

|date=September 2018

|access-date=30 September 2018}}{{cite news

|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/542830-first-person-to-swim-the-length-of-the-english-channel

|title=First Person To Swim The Length of The English Channel

|publisher=Guinness World Records

|date=August 2018

|access-date=29 September 2018}} He left Land's End in Cornwall on 12 July and arrived in Dover on 29 August, after 49 days at sea. He swam between 10 and 20 kilometres each day in order to cover the distance. Pugh swam the 528 kilometres (328 miles) to call for 30% of oceans to be protected by 2030. He was greeted on landing at Shakespeare Beach by UK Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who described him as a "modern day hero" and a "brilliant champion for marine conservation zones".{{cite news

|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-45332167

|title=Endurance Swimmer Lewis Pugh Completes English Channel Challenge

|publisher=BBC News

|date=August 2018

|access-date=29 September 2018}}{{cite news

|url=https://news.sky.com/story/the-long-swim-lewis-pughs-daily-blog-11428024

|title=The Long Swim Lewis Pugh's daily blog

|publisher=Sky News

|date=August 2018

|access-date=29 August 2018}}

Martha’s Vineyard swim for shark conservation

In May 2025, Lewis Pugh became the first person to swim around Martha’s Vineyard, covering 99.7 kilometres (62 miles) over 12 days in near-freezing waters to advocate for shark conservation. The endurance swim, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Jaws, aimed to shift public perception of sharks and highlight the ecological harm of their mass killing, which Pugh described as "ecocide."{{Cite news |date=2025-05-26 |title=Man swims 62 miles around Martha’s Vineyard to press for protections for sharks |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/26/lewis-pugh-marthas-vineyard-swim-shark-protections |access-date=2025-05-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Although he admitted to fearing sharks, Pugh said he was "really frightened of a world without sharks."{{Cite web |date=2025-05-16 |title=Plymouth swimmer Lewis Pugh tackles waters where Jaws was filmed |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czelp9e70z9o |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}} Beginning on 15 May, he swam multiple hours daily in 8 °C (47 °F) water, completing the swim on 26 May near the film’s original shooting location. He swam for approximately 24 hours in total and described the effort as one of the most difficult of his nearly 40-year career, citing cold temperatures, distance, and shark migration season, though he said severe weather was the greatest challenge. No sharks were sighted, but he reported seeing sunfish, seals, and terns along the way.{{Cite web |last=Willingham |first=Leah |date=2025-05-26 |title=Endurance swimmer finishes circling Martha's Vineyard ahead of 'Jaws' 50th |url=https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/marthas-vineyard-endurance-swim-sharks/3723370/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=NBC Boston |language=en-US}}

File:JasonRobertsProductions Polar Defence (32).jpg

In September 2008, Pugh, accompanied by a team aboard a ship where he slept, attempted to kayak the 1,200 km from Svalbard, across the Arctic Ocean, to the North Pole, but the team abandoned the effort 135 km from the start.{{cite news

|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL635315320080906

|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201053705/http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKL635315320080906

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=1 February 2013

|publisher=Reuters

|author=Caroline Drees

|date=6 September 2008

|access-date=8 August 2010

| title=Explorer kayaks to 1,000 km from N.Pole}} The aim was to further highlight the melting sea ice. The expedition coincided with some scientists predicting that the North Pole could be free of sea-ice in the summer of 2008, for the first time in thousands of years.{{cite news

|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/

|title=North Pole Could Be Ice-Free This Summer, Scientists Say

|publisher=CNN

|author=Alan Duke

|date=27 June 2008

|access-date=19 September 2008}} Pugh stated that despite several attempts, they were unable to find a gap in the ice. In his autobiography Pugh wrote:

"Ironically, global warming played no small part in undermining the entire expedition. We believed that the greater melting of summer ice would open up large areas of sea and allow us to paddle north at good speed. What we did not fully appreciate was that to the north of us there was a widespread melting of sea ice off the coast of Alaska and the New Siberian Islands and the ice was being pushed south towards us ... The evidence of climate change was stark. Fourteen months before I'd sailed north and I'd seen a preponderance of multi-year ice about three metres thick north of Spitsbergen, but this time most of the ice was just a metre thick."{{cite news

|title=Achieving the Impossible. A Fearless Leader. A Fragile Earth

|publisher=Simon & Schuster

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=May 2010

}}

Pugh has twice spoken at the TED Global Conference and is described on their website as a "master story-teller".{{cite news

|url=http://blog.ted.com/2010/07/30/a-mind-shifting-mt-everest-swim-lewis-pugh-on-ted-com/

|title=A mind-shifting Mt. Everest swim

|publisher=TED

|date=August 2010

|access-date=3 August 2010}} The Financial Times reported that his speech at TEDGlobal in 2010 was "the perfect TED talk".{{cite news |date=July 2010 |title=Conference of cool |publisher=FT.com |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/42c699da-95e8-11df-bbb4-00144feab49a.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=23 July 2010 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/42c699da-95e8-11df-bbb4-00144feab49a.html |archive-date=11 December 2022}}

And his speech on environmental leadership at the 2008 Business Innovation Forum Conference in the USA was voted as one of the "7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web" by Mashable, the social media guide.{{cite news

|url=http://mashable.com/2009/11/08/inspiring-videos/

|title=7 of the Most Inspiring Videos

|publisher=Mashable

|author=Josh Catone

|date=November 2009

|access-date=8 November 2009}}

Pugh has addressed the World Economic Forum at their annual meeting in Davos. He also gave the keynote addresses at Coca-Cola's 125th anniversary in 2011, Lloyd's Agency Network's 200th anniversary in 2011, and Swiss Re's 150th anniversary in 2013.{{cite news

|url=http://lewispugh.com/speaking/#topics-start

|title=Lewis Pugh Speaking

|publisher=Lewis Pugh's website

|author=Lewis Pugh

|date=December 2013

|access-date=12 December 2013}}

File:Lewis-Pugh-Desmond-Tutu.jpg

During his youth Pugh visited many National Parks in South Africa, following his father's desire to teach him to love and respect nature after what he had witnessed whilst serving in the Royal Navy.{{cite news

|url=http://www.ted.com/speakers/lewis_pugh.html

|title=Time to Believe

|publisher=Speech at TEDGlobal 2009

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=July 2009

|access-date=22 July 2009}}

His father was present at the first British atomic bomb test in 1952 and a number of subsequent tests.

In 2003 Pugh left his maritime law practice to campaign full-time for the protection of the oceans. He often addresses heads of state and business leaders on the topics of climate change, overfishing and pollution and the need for Marine Protected Areas and low-carbon economies.

In 2009, Pugh together with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu took the evidence of witnesses from across Africa on the effects of climate change at the Pan-African Climate and Poverty Hearings. The evidence was presented to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference.{{cite news

|url = http://www.oryxmedia.co.za/people/pan-african-climate-change-and-poverty-hearing-hosted-by-oxfam-in-cape-town-5-october-2009

|title = Pan-African Climate Change and Poverty Hearing

|publisher = Oryx Media

|date = October 2009

|access-date = 5 October 2009

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100913134432/http://www.oryxmedia.co.za/people/pan-african-climate-change-and-poverty-hearing-hosted-by-oxfam-in-cape-town-5-october-2009

|archive-date = 13 September 2010

|df = dmy-all

}}

In 2008 Pugh founded the Polar Defense Project to campaign for greater protection for the Arctic and a resolution of the maritime boundary disputes. In 2009 it won the Best Project for the Environment at the inaugural Beyond Sport Awards.{{cite news

|url=http://www.beyondsport.org/the-awards/entries/shortlist.php

|title=2009 Winners

|publisher=Beyond Sport

|author=Beyond Sport

|date=July 2009

|access-date=8 July 2009}}

Pugh was outspoken on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, calling for the criminal prosecution of top BP executives in a feature in Business Day.{{cite news |author=Gary Lemke |date=7 June 2010 |title=Going to the Extreme |publisher=Business Day |url=http://www.businessday.co.za/ |access-date=7 July 2010}}

Pugh opposes fracking for gas in the Karoo region of South Africa.{{cite news |author=Lewis Pugh |date=7 June 2013 |title=21 Yaks and a Speedo |publisher=Jonathan Ball Publishing}} He made a public speech to Royal Dutch Shell in 2011 titled "Standing up to Goliath".

In 2018, Pugh was listed as the third-most influential person in the world discussing how to tackle plastic pollution on social media.{{cite news

|url=http://www.onalytica.com/blog/posts/tackling-plastic-pollution-top-100-influencers-brands-publications/

|title=Tackling plastic pollution. Top 100 influencers, brands and publication

|publisher=Onalytica

|author=Joe Fields

|date=26 March 2018

|access-date=26 March 2018}}

Pugh has appeared on numerous TV shows including Good Morning America, Jay Leno,{{cite news

|url=http://tviv.org/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/Season_Fifteen

|title=Show 3412

|publisher=NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

|date=July 2007

|access-date=27 July 2007}} Richard & Judy, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart{{cite news

|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-july-31-2007/lewis-gordon-pugh

|title=Lewis Pugh

|publisher=Comedy Central

|author=Jon Stewart

|date=July 2007

|access-date=31 July 2007}} and BBC Breakfast. He has also been featured by Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Vital Signs on CNN,{{cite news

|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/25/lewis.pugh/index.html

|title=Lewis Pugh: The Human Polar Bear

|publisher=CNN

|author=Mark Tutton

|date=February 2009

|access-date=25 February 2009}} ADN on France 2, Carte Blanche and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.{{cite news

|url=http://www.hbo.com/realsports/stories/2006/episode.109.s3.html

|title=An Uncommon Man

|publisher=HBO

|author=Bernard Goldberg

|date=April 2006

|access-date=11 April 2006}}

In 2009 Pugh starred in Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure where he trained the English actor to swim across the icy waters of Llyn Llydaw, a lake on Snowdon in Wales.{{cite news

|url = http://www.robsongreen.com/wild-swimming/index.shtml

|title = Wild Swimming

|publisher = Robson Green's website

|author = Robson Green

|date = December 2009

|access-date = 15 December 2009

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091207044530/http://www.robsongreen.com/wild-swimming/index.shtml

|archive-date = 7 December 2009

|df = dmy-all

}}

In 2013 he appeared on the front of The Big Issue holding a northern rockhopper penguin in an issue dedicated to ocean issues.{{cite news

|url=http://www.bigissue.org.za/

|title=Turning the Tide

|publisher=The Big Issue

|author=The Big Issue

|date=25 September – 24 October 2013

|issue=213

|volume=17

|access-date=25 September 2013}}

In 2010 Pugh's autobiography "Achieving the Impossible" was published by Simon & Schuster. It quickly became a No. 1 best-seller.{{cite news

|url=http://www.lewispugh.com/

|title=Book

|publisher=Lewis Gordon Pugh's website

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=June 2009

|access-date=28 June 2009}}

In 2013 Pugh wrote a second book entitled "21 Yaks and a Speedo". The title is a reference to his swim on Mt. Everest. The book is a collection of 21 short stories about his expeditions and the lessons he has learnt from them. It was published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. The Financial Times described the book as "compelling"{{cite news

|url=http://www.lewispugh.com/

|title=Book

|publisher=Jonathan Ball Publishing

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=May 2013

|access-date=10 May 2013}}

and Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said "The book made me want to stand a little taller."{{cite news

|url=http://www.lewispugh.com/

|title=Book

|publisher=Jonathan Ball Publishing

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=May 2013

|access-date=10 May 2013}}

File:Lewis Pugh UNEP.jpg appointing Pugh as UN Patron of the Oceans]]

• 2019 - The Mungo Park Medal from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society{{cite news

|url=http://www.rsgs.org/mungo-park-medal

|title=Mungo Park Medal

|publisher=Royal Scottish Geographical Society

|author=RSGS

|access-date=20 September 2019}}

• 2018 - Inducted into the Ice Swimming Hall of Fame {{cite news

|url=http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2018/12/ice-swimming-hall-of-fame-members.html

|title=Ice Swimming Hall of Fame members announced

|publisher=Daily News of Open Water Swimming

|author=Steven Munatones

|date=December 2018

|access-date=9 December 2018}}

• 2017 - SAB Environmentalist of the Year {{cite news

|url=https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/sabanddeaannounceenvironmentalmediaandenvironmentalistoftheyearawards

|title=SAB and Department of Environmental Affairs announces Media and Environmentalist of the Year Awards

|publisher=Department of Environmental Affairs

|author=Albi Modise

|date=October 2017

|access-date=24 October 2017}}

• 2017 - The Sunday Times Alternative Rich List for "people who represent the most inspiring side of humanity" {{cite news

|url=http://tools.skoda.co.uk/pages/altRichList/index.html

|title=The Alternative Rich List

|publisher=Skoda UK

|author=Skoda UK

|date=May 2017

|access-date=7 May 2017}}{{cite news

|newspaper=The Sunday Times

|title=The Alternative Rich List

|publisher=The Sunday Times (UK)

|author=The Sunday Times (UK)

|date=May 2017

}}

• 2017 – Appointed as an adjunct professor of International Law at the University of Cape Town{{cite news

|url=http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2017/05/17/Ocean-swimmer-Lewis-Pugh-dives-into-academic-maelstrom-as-UCT-law-prof1

|title=Ocean swimmer Lewis Pugh dives into academic maelstrom as UCT law prof

|publisher=Times Live

|author=Times Live

|date=May 2017

|access-date=17 May 2017}}

• 2015 – Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from Plymouth University{{cite news

|url = http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/round-plymouth-university-hands-honorary-degrees/story-27867328-detail/story.html

|title = Round-up: Plymouth University hands out honorary degrees

|publisher = The Herald

|author = The Herald

|date = September 2015

|access-date = 25 September 2015

}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

• 2015 – Selected by Men's Journal as one of "50 Most Adventurous Men in the World" {{cite news

|url=http://mensjournal.com/adventure/the-50-most-adventurous-men

|title=The 50 Most Adventurous Men in the World

|publisher=Men's Journal

|author=Men's Journal

|date=July 2015

|access-date=17 July 2015}}

• 2015 – National Geographic Adventurer of the Year {{cite news

|url=http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2015/lewis-pugh/

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107075530/http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2015/lewis-pugh/

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=7 November 2014

|title=Adventurers of the Year 2014/2015

|publisher=National Geographic

|author=National Geographic

|date=November 2014

|access-date=6 November 2014}}

• 2013 – Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
• 2013 – Appointed as the United Nations Patron of the Oceans
• 2013 – Inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame{{cite news

|url=http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2012/10/lewis-pugh-honored-by-international.html

|title=Lewis Pugh Honored by the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

|publisher=The Daily News of Open Water Swimming

|author=The Daily News of Open Water Swimming

|date=October 2012

|access-date=23 October 2012}}

• 2013 – Honorary Fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
• 2011 – Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London
• 2011 – President's Award from the International Swimming Hall of Fame{{cite news

|url=https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/international-swimming-hall-of-fame-announces-induction-class-of-2011/

|title=International Swimming Hall of Fame Announces Induction Class of 2011

|publisher=Swimming World Magazine

|author=Archive Team

|date=December 2010

|access-date=1 December 2010}}

• 2010 – Appointed a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
• 2009 – Awarded the highest honour in South Africa – the Order of Ikhamanga (Gold Class) for his "exceptional sporting triumphs, humanitarian feats and creating consciousness about the negative effects of global warming". This was only the third time a sportsman had received the honour.{{cite news|url=http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/show.asp?include=director/pr/2009/pr12021559.htm&ID=1918&type=pr |title=Presidency unveils National Orders recipients |publisher=The Presidency, Republic of South Africa |author=Office of the President of South Africa |date=December 2009 |access-date=2 December 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
• 2009 – Best Project for the Environment – Beyond Sport Awards{{cite news

|url=http://www.beyondsport.org/the-awards/entries/shortlist.php

|title=2009 Winners

|publisher=Beyond Sport

|author=Beyond Sport

|date=July 2009

|access-date=8 July 2009}}

• 2008 – Out There Adventurer of the Year
• 2007 – Fellow of The Explorers Club, New York
• 2007 – Paul Harris Fellowship Award by Rotary International
• 2007 – Sports Adventurer of the Year Award by the French Sports Academy
• 2006 – Freedom of the City of London

In 2009 Pugh married Antoinette Malherbe, whom he met at school.{{cite news

|title=Achieving the Impossible. A Fearless Leader. A Fragile Earth

|publisher=Simon & Schuster

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=May 2010

}}

Pugh is a descendant of Baptist missionary William Carey. His father's cousin, Carey Heydenrych, participated in the "Great Escape" from the German POW camp Stalag Luft III during the Second World War.{{cite news

|title=Achieving the Impossible. A Fearless Leader. A Fragile Earth

|publisher=Simon & Schuster

|author=Lewis Gordon Pugh

|date=May 2010

}}{{cite news

|url=http://lewispugh.com/where-is-our-great-escape/

|title=Where Is Our Great Escape?

|publisher=Lewis Pugh

|author=Lewis Pugh

|date=Sep 2017

|access-date=8 September 2017}}

{{reflist}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• [http://www.lewispugh.com/ Official website of Lewis Pugh]
• [http://www.ted.com/talks/lewis_pugh_swims_the_north_pole.html TED talk on swimming across the North Pole] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222164149/http://www.ted.com/talks/lewis_pugh_swims_the_north_pole.html |date=22 February 2014 }}
• [http://www.ted.com/talks/lewis_pugh_s_mind_shifting_mt_everest_swim.html TED talk on swimming at Mt. Everest]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Lewis}}

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:English male swimmers

Category:British male long-distance swimmers

Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge

Category:Alumni of Camps Bay High School

Category:British explorers of the Arctic

Category:University of Cape Town alumni

Category:Alumni of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown

Category:English lawyers

Category:Sportspeople from Plymouth, Devon

Category:Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga

Category:Special Air Service soldiers

Category:People educated at Mount House School, Tavistock

Category:Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon

Category:20th-century British Army personnel